My Favorite Things

album by Coltrane

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July 16, 2026

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The album My Favorite Things by John Coltrane, released in 1960, features the jazz saxophonist's innovative approach to modal jazz. This album is particularly known for Coltrane's rendition of the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II song "My Favorite Things," where he uses modal improvisation over repeated accompanying figures.1

Coltrane, an iconic jazz figure, explored various styles throughout his career, including his signature "sheets of sound" technique and later, more avant-garde free jazz. My Favorite Things showcases his transition to modal jazz, a style that influenced much of the music in the mid-20th century. The album highlights his proficiency on both tenor and soprano saxophone.12

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Elvin Jones
…that influenced jazz substantially, including My Favorite Things (1960) and A Love Supreme (1965). Rather than merely keeping time, the drummer, through Jones’s example, became an improviser of equal importance to the lead melodic instrumentalist. After the addition of a second drummer, Rashied Ali, to the Coltrane group, Jones left…
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…that influenced jazz substantially, including My Favorite Things (1960) and A Love Supreme (1965). Rather than merely keeping time, the drummer, through Jones’s example, became an improviser of equal importance to the lead melodic instrumentalist. After the addition of a second drummer, Rashied Ali, to the Coltrane group, Jones left…
Read More